


Fight Me

by 54starr



Category: Megalo Box (Anime)
Genre: Teaching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 03:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/54starr/pseuds/54starr
Summary: Joe teaches Sachio the basics of boxing





	Fight Me

**Author's Note:**

> I gotta say, it's really hard to write a fic when there are hardly any but here goes

“Hey!” Joe said to Sachio as he placed a bag of water bottles on his shoulder. “I heard you’ve been running off to go practice fighting. Is it true?”

Sachio immediately tried to deny it but before he could actually say anything, Joe put his hand on the kid’s shoulders. “Guess I oughta teach you to fight properly. Come with me.”

“What d’ya think, Sachio?” Joe asked as he set his bag on the ground away from where Sachio would train. “Is here good?” Sachio looked around for anyone swimming in the river or lying down on the sand. When he was convinced that no one was there to witness his first proper fighting lesson, he nodded.

“Alright. Now before I can teach you, I gotta see your stance.”

Instantly Sachio got into position: his feet were far apart and his fists were feebly held under his jaw but his eyes burned with determination. Joe sighed; he knew he had his work cut out for him.

“First off, your stance is too wide. Bring your feet closer together.” Sachio did as he was told. “Raise your arms too. You gotta protect your face in a fight.” Joe scrutinized Sachio’s stance while he tried to figure out what else was wrong. “You’re putting too much weight on your back leg. Split it evenly. Fifty-fifty.”

“Like this?” Sachio asked, not entirely sure what Joe was asking.

“Yeah. Now show me how you punch.”

Joe didn’t really know what he was expecting but he didn’t expect the chaotic flailing in front of him.

“H-How was that?” Sachio asked when he finished.

“It was alright for a beginner,” Joe answered. “But it could be better.” He stood parallel to Sachio on his right.

“Follow me,” He said before making a right jab, making sure to exaggerate the rotation of his wrist as he extended his right arm in front of him. Soon Sachio followed suit, making jabs in succession with his left hand.

“Sachio?” Joe asked.

“Hm?”

“Are you left-handed?”

“Yeah.” Sachio stopped and put his arms down. “Is that a problem?”

“Nah. Just means everything’s crisscrossed. Now I’m gonna teach you a le-right jab.” He started jabbing straight across him with his left hand. “The difference is that you don’t have to move your wrist. You just go. Now you try.”

Sachio’s fist glided in front of him. “Not like that,” Joe told him. “You gotta exhale as you punch and you gotta keep your shoulders up. Haven’t you learned anything from watching my matches?”

“It’s hard to learn when all I see is you getting hit.”

“Well, you should have paid more attention when I took down my opponents. You’ve got a lot to learn, kid.”

 

 

By sunset, Sachio had a good grip on all the basic boxing concepts. After a full day of trying to get Sachio to get it right, Joe was ready to go to bed.

“You did pretty good today, kid,” Joe said before he started chugging his remaining water.

“Don’t call me that! I have a name.”

“You know, it took me weeks to get this shit down but you did it in a day. I’m really proud of y-”

“Fight me.”

Joe set his empty bottle on the ground. “What?”

“I wanna fight you. Right now.”

Joe sighed. “If you say so.”

They stood so they were facing each other only a couple feet apart. Joe counted from 3 in his head but Sachio just ran toward him.

Even though Sachio was pounding on Joe’s stomach with all his strength, Joe didn’t feel pain but rather pride in how far the boy standing in front of him had gone in just one day.

“Ow,” Joe said, feigning pain for Sachio. Then he started throwing punches in the air around Sachio and had to suppress a smile when he dodged them.

Then Sachio stopped fighting. “I meant fight me for real. Take this seriously.”

Joe smirked. “Is that what you really want?” Sachio nodded. “Okay then.”

Sachio came at him but Joe easily evaded his attacks. He kept dodging his younger opponent’s punches until he felt it was the right time.

The poor kid didn’t even see it coming. One minute Joe was blocking, the next was lunging toward him. It was too late to do anything by the time Sachio realized what was happening; all he could do was close his eyes, protect his face and hope for the best.

After waiting for the punch to land, Sachio opened his eyes and saw Joe’s fist a mere inch from his face.

“Hey!” Joe said as he waved to Nanbu and Aragaki with his other hand. “Didn’t think I’d see you here.” He said as he got his other fist out of Sachio’s face.

“Are you so good that you’re taking apprentices now?” Aragaki asked as he led Nanbu closer to Joe and Sachio.

“Nope. Just this kid here,” Joe answered as he ruffled Sachio’s hair despite the boy’s objections.

“How’s he doing?” Nanbu asked.

“He’s learned all the basics.”

“And to think the champ took a whole month just to get the basics,” Nanbu teased.

“Guess I’m a better teacher.”

“Shut your trap! You’ve got a long way to go ‘fore you can go calling yourself a teacher!”

“Then why don’t you teach him?”

“If I had a better school I’d teach all the children.”

“Then build one,” Joe said as he packed up all the water bottles.

Nanbu opened his mouth to point out how ridiculous that would be, but then he started considering it.

“Joe,” Aragaki said. “Yuri’s by the ship. He said he wants to see you.”

“So much for getting some sleep tonight. Let’s go, Sachio!”

“Alright,” Sachio said as if in a daze.

As the four walked back to the boat, Sachio kept replaying the image of Joe’s fist coming towards him. He kept thinking of the fear he felt in that moment in the face of Joe’s talent.

Aragaki looked back at Sachio before turning to Joe. “So, Joe, what’s it like being the master?”

“It’s hard as hell. The basics come naturally to me but it took him so long to get. But you know the worst part?”

Nanbu chuckled. “What?”

“When Pops first let me fight him, I got in all these punches. I felt like a fucking champ but-” He faced his old teacher. “You just let me hit you didn’t you?”

“He-he-. You’re on your way, kid. You’re on your way.”

**Author's Note:**

> I actually researched all the boxing terms and I had my boxing friend review it but if I fucked up please lemme know  
> and please comment regardless  
> i love hearing from readers


End file.
